Caring for your Needlepoint Rug

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Along with being a beautiful addition to any home, Needlepoint Rug’s are also fragile hand crafted pieces of art that need to be maintained throughout the years. In order to preserve the quality and visual appeal of your needlepoint there are a few steps that should be taken.It is recommended to use only the suction of the vacuum. Do not use a beater brush when vacuuming these rugs, as this can cause damage. Once the front is done, turn the rug around and do the same to the back. For minor stains, spot cleaning can be done at home. We recommend using mild soap, such as dish washing soap to spot clean. Do not use any chemicals on the rug, as they might cause the colors to run. If this does not work, or the stains are too big to manage it is important to have a professional clean it, to avoid damage or color bleeding.The best way to keep your rug in the finest condition is to have it professionally cleaned every 3-5 years, dependent upon the wear and tear of its location. At Peykar, we have an excellent rug cleaning service that is highly recommended by our customers.If you are spot cleaning the needlepoint yourself, we recommend checking the fibers for colorfastness. This will help prevent the colors from running. Simply find a large area of color on the rug, and gently rub it with a white cloth that has cold water. If you only have small areas of color, a cotton swab would also work. If any of the color transfers onto the white cloth, do not wash the rug yourself. Washing it will result in discoloration and fading. If this does not cause fading, also pre-test any solutions that you plan on using to clean the rug in a hidden area to ensure that it will not also fade the colors. This is important even just for spot removal.Another important element of needlepoint care is having the correct padding under the rug. A needlepoint, more than other rugs, needs a nice padding underneath it to keep it flat. On top of preventing wrinkles, this also will prevent it from slipping across your floor. Creases and other damage can occur without padding, whether the rug is on carpet, wood or other flooring.If you follow these steps your needlepoint rug should last for generations!